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Delivery status

  • Updated October 22, 2026

A delivery status is the label in the Delivery column of Meta Ads Manager that tells you whether a campaign, ad set or ad is running and, if it isn't, why. Each level carries its own. Meta also uses Not delivering, outside its status table: by Meta's wording it means the item was turned off or reached the end of its schedule. It does not mean the ad was rejected.

How does Meta define delivery status?

From Meta's delivery status page:

The Delivery column of Meta Ads Manager is where you can check the status of your campaign, ad set or ad and find information about any problems.

The column works in two layers. An icon gives the broad state: Error, Warning, Pending, Active or Inactive. A named status, such as In review, Preparing or Learning limited, says which state exactly. Meta's page defines five icons and eleven common statuses; both tables, in Meta's words, are in Meta Ads Manager delivery statuses. The detail sits behind the label: "You can hover over some statuses, like errors and warnings, to see more information about the status and if there are any actions to take."

What does "Not delivering" mean?

It isn't in the status table. Meta defines it in a note on its Update required page:

Note: The status Not delivering is different from an ad rejection and will appear if the ad, ad set or ad campaign has been turned off or has finished its scheduled course of delivery.

So check the switches and the dates before you check the creative. Meta's page on an ad that isn't running names three ways an ad gets switched off: "when you turn them off, when an automated rule you created turns them off, or when they are scheduled to end."

An ad that is running but spending little is a different problem. Meta's troubleshooter for a campaign that hasn't delivered enough describes it as a campaign that "is running but not spending enough to meet your daily or lifetime budget goals". That shows up in your results, not as Not delivering.

Which level does each status describe?

Meta's definitions name their subject, and it isn't always the ad:

Level in Meta's wordingStatuses
An adRejected, In review, Processing, Preparing
An ad setLearning, Learning limited, Scheduled
A campaign or ad setNo ads
A campaignAds off or Ad set off
Any levelActive, Completed

The levels can disagree. Meta's note: "Campaigns, ad sets and ads can have different delivery statuses. For example, your campaign may appear active, but your ad set or ad may show a status of In review if you made recent changes." Active at the campaign level only means it "contains at least one ad running normally". Learning belongs to the ad set and its learning phase: Meta's wording is "The ad set and all of its ads", and there is no learning status per ad.

What it means for your ads

  • Read the row that names the problem. A campaign marked Active can still hold a rejected ad. Meta recommends "checking the status of your ad at all levels".
  • Treat Not delivering and Off as a question about switches. Look at the toggle at each level, your automated rules and the end date.
  • Don't edit an ad because it says Preparing. By Meta's definition it "successfully passed review" and is waiting for its first impression. How long ad review itself takes is a separate question.
  • Fix Update required, then switch it back on. Meta: "you will have to manually toggle the ad set back to active."

Common mistakes

  • Reading Not delivering as a rejection. Meta calls it "different from an ad rejection".
  • Reading Pending as an error. Meta's page on ads that aren't running says a Pending ad "is either in draft, pending review, or scheduled for a later time."

Sources

Meta revises these pages without notice, so check the source before acting on any of it.

Terrads makes a batch of different ads in one go, so they can be ready days before launch and you can publish early and have review behind you before your start date instead of on it.